Life and Death are just one heartbeat apart
by Snow White'84
Summary: It's a sequel to my previous story "Seas of Madness - Trees of Sadness", starting off right where it ended: after Sheila had taken her brother's life at the 'Sea of Madness'... [...]The girl gasped in shock while staring down at her brother unbelievingly. "Bobby? Oh my god... Bobby..." Sheila whispered hoarsely.[...] (Spoiler warning: May contain character death...)
1. Lost to the Sea - Your world wasn't mine

**Life and Death are just one heartbeat apart**

* * *

><p>This is a sequel of my previous story "Seas of Madness - Trees of Sadness"<br>Spoiler: May contain character death.  
>~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~<p>

What has happened so far:

After being told about a 'Keeper of a Portal' called Marius by Dungeon Master, the Young Ones were setting off to him right away.

When they had a rest near a forest Hank sent Eric and Bobby into it to get something to eat, hoping to solve the constant arguments between the two boys with this step.  
>But of course his well-meant plan went completely wrong because they began to argue and split up in the end. Being on his own Bobby discovered a tree and tried some of its fruits; a fatal mistake as the berries were poisonous.<p>

The poison caused a remarkable change of the character, leading to death.

Even Dungeon Master himself couldn't help since this was 'nature's doing' but there was a single cure, though: the water of the 'Sea of Madness'.  
>They were about to go to this sea when suddenly Venger showed up and kidnapped the Barbarian, forcing them to rescue the young boy from Venger's grip at first.<p>

However, time was working against them because Bobby's condition had already gotten worse when they eventually made it.

After a difficult and long journey they finally reached the sea but there other bad news were awaiting them: they found out from two ghostly creatures - the 'Protectors of the Sea' - that the water wasn't used the way they thought, it wasn't going to help anything at all to simply drink the water or to bath in it.  
>The poisoning would only be completely over when 'the heart stops beating'; in other words: when Bobby dies.<p>

So they had the horrible choice to let the boy die of the poisoning or to release him from his agony by drowning him.  
>But no matter how they were going to decide, one thing was certain: they would lose in any case!<p>

After many considerations they have come to a decision.  
>Sheila was the one to carry this heavy burden and so she did what she had to do: she killed her own little brother...<p>

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~  
><strong><br>1. Lost to the Sea - Your world was not mine**

It slowly went quiet around the quite large sea. In the distance some kind of an owl was hooting, greeting the coming night in its way - rather unaware that its call was regarded as a death message on earth for a long time, above all in the Middle Ages.

Apart from that nothing moved, not even the wind.

Once in a while only loud sobs, emerging from the bottom of someone's very soul, were interrupting the silence. They were a sign of deep mourning.

Sheila was crouched beside the lifeless body of her brother and was only sobbing by this time. She had shed all her tears and her screams were faded away but the grief was going to remain, though.

Several minutes had passed since then.  
>Basically, none of the friends had moved one bit meanwhile. None of them was giving the impression that they wanted to rise again sometime and continue their way in search for a portal out of this realm; even without their youngest member.<br>You'd almost think that they wanted to sit and wait there forever, abandoning themselves to their sorrow.

If an enemy - especially Venger - had an appearance in these moments, he would have had an easy going with the Young Ones: one dead, the other five as good as. Their resistance as normally expected was broken long ago. There couldn't have been a better situation!

But they were lucky at this point: they didn't have to fear an attack from any foes, at least in this moment.

They were alone; everyone was occupied with his/her own grief.

That's why nobody noticed the faint movement.  
>A low groaning followed after that before it changed into retching noises.<p>

Sheila was the first of them to be aware of it since those sounds were coming right next to her.  
>She lifted her head, her eyes widened when she realized where they actually came from.<p>

Bobby's chest was raised and lowered irregularly!

She quickly glanced at his face. His eyes were still closed, though, but they were shifting restlessly behind the lids.  
>The retching noises were coming from him without any doubt.<p>

"Bobby? Oh my god... Bobby..." Sheila whispered hoarsely.

She laid her arms around him and lifted his body.

And there the completely unimaginable thing happened: the boy presumed dead opened his eyes again!

The girl gasped in shock while staring down at her brother unbelievingly.

"Hank... Hank! HANK!" Her words were raspy but yet loud enough to call the other's attention to the scene.

"What the...?" Eric blurted out while they were staring at the previously lifeless young Barbarian.

Bobby retched again in Sheila's arms.  
>She instinctively turned her brother over and he threw up into the grass right away.<br>They, looking both disgusted and fascinated at the same time, watched the kid spitting out a purple coloured liquid.  
>After that he gasped for breath and sank back into his sister's arms, completely exhausted.<p>

"Bobby... oh Bobby..." Sheila said happily, hugging her brother tightly. "You... you're alive..."

The last tears were running down her cheeks, but those were tears of joy.

The boy was still too weak to complain about this embarrassing situation. So, he let it happen without any protest; feeling relieved on his part as well.

~.~.~.~

_As opposed to Sheila and her turning into a vampire in the 'Forest of the Damned', he knew exactly what had happened in the meantime._

_Like Venger had already guessed, in spite of his apparently apathetic-looking condition, he was well aware of everything that happened around him - from his kidnapping to his rescue right up to his 'homicide' - but wasn't able to react to it because of the poisoning.  
>He had mentally struggled against the malicious effect of the disease at first, though, but was dragged into it deeper and deeper as a result.<em>

_So, he was in his right mind when Sheila had drowned him in the sea. And he also knew why she had done it and how difficult it had been for her._

_Suddenly he was filled with affection for his sister. Now he regretted not having ever told her how much he loved her despite her persistent overprotection_

_After he had closed his eyes - forever, as everybody thought at the beginning - he felt leaving his body._

_You could imagine his shock when he had to look at his own dead body. An adult wouldn't have coped very well with this sight for sure. How was a 10 year old boy supposed to do so?_

_And yet he wasn't shocked in the least. He neither was scared nor confused. He just knew that it was 'right'.  
>Though, a feeling of dismay came over him when he watched his sister and his friends mourning for him. They were so depressed because of him...<em>

_"You need not to be concerned about them. They will vanquish their grief some day." somebody spoke to Bobby._

_He didn't even wince at the unexpected sound of the voice and also didn't bother to turn around, he already knew who it was._

_"Yeah, maybe... but it still hurts to see them like that..." he answered sadly._

_"Why certainly! The efforts of your predestinated impossible salvation and the guilt they have taken upon themselves with your alleged death would have been in vain, if this were not the case." The protector stepped beside him._

_The two ghostly shapes watched the Young Ones, without being perceived by human eyes._

_"Alas, it is time. We need to go now, my boy. Say goodbye to them and come with me. I will lead you to the place where the other 'Deceased Ones of the Sea' are located as well. Do not worry, you will fare well with them there." the keeper remarked, already turning around._

_"No, I wanna stay here!" Bobby objected quietly but firmly. "Please..."_

_"I am sorry, but this is impossible. You cannot sojourn here in the twilight zone. This is only allowed to us protectors, only we are authorized to travel between the different worlds. Your place is destined among the 'Deceased Ones' now. Only there you will find your peace. It would be much too dangerous for you to be here in the twilight zone. There are a few vicious creatures..." the keeper replied and stopped._

_"I... I can't leave them. That just ain't right! Please, can I stay here?" the boy turned towards the protector pleadingly._

_The keeper shook his head. "Look, the others are already awaiting you to welcome you with pleasure. You will be treated well!"  
>With that he pointed into the distance where a bright light was shining. You really could spot several figures which gave the appearance of being friendly.<em>

_"They will be your family from now on. You must let go of your sister and your friends. If you stay here, they will never be able to get over their mourning. They would sense your presence and they would never let you go and forget you. They still would have the vague hope that you will return to them one day. Do you really want to burden them with that?"_

_"No, I don't, but..." the Barbarian admitted, glancing at his desperate sister. "I don't wanna leave them. I wanna be with them... Can I?"_

_"You mean, you want to be back into your body again, Deceased One?"_

_Bobby nodded. "Is that possible? Oh, please, let me go back. I don't wanna live with the other diseased. I wanna be with my sister and my friends again!"_

_According to his behavior, the keeper wasn't very pleased about this request altogether.  
>"Well, since your friends have pulled you out of the water again, it stands open for you to return into the mortal world, as a matter of fact. There are two ways open for you: the one to the other 'Deceased Ones' or back into your mortal body. However, this free decision will not be granted to everyone. The ones who stay in water are not supposed to choose. There's only one way for them, and that inevitably leads to one's equals: 'The Deceased Ones'. But the ones who were brought ashore again in a cured condition - as you were - are permitted to decide on one's destination for themselves. That is stated in our 'Laws of the Sea'. And if this is your greatest wish..."<em>

_"It is!" Bobby proclaimed emphatically._

_The protector sighed. "Each time I wonder why human beings are just not willing to accept things how they are, without questioning them right away and thus wanting to change them. I'm afraid, this is one thing I will never understand. I mean, why for heaven's sake would anyone prefer - by one's own choice, mind you - the hard worldly life to the lightheartedness of the 'Deceased Ones'?"_

_" 'cause I love them all..." the boy whispered truthfully._

_"Oh yes, love... it effects so many things; not only in your world, young Barbarian. Oftentimes, it is the impulse for many actions, as well as the circumstance of your physical death..." the spirit nodded, stroking his chin thoughtfully.  
>"Well then, so be it! You will go back into your body." he continued after a short pause. "But keep in mind, with this step the access to the realm of the dead will be denied to you so long as you are about die again. For this reason, I'm asking you now for the last time: are you really inclined to give up your current existence as a spirit, where all the negative feelings like pain, sorrow, hatred, wrath and suffering have no meaning at all, in order to return to the realm you have lived in up to your hour of death?"<em>

_The Barbarian nodded, looking determined at the other ghost._

_"Close your eyes, then." the protector ordered._

_The boy did it without thinking. The keeper touched the child's heart, directly after that Bobby felt something pulling at him. He literally sensed himself slipping back into his own body; noticed the rough ground he was lying on and his wet clothes sticking to his body. An nausea was overcoming him right away. He then started retching..._

~.~.~.~

And now here he was; back again among the living, hugged by his sister so firmly as if she never ever wanted to release him again. He remembered how much he had missed her and was glad about his decision.

Happy about that, he returned the hug.

"I'm soo glad you're back! Without you, I wouldn't have been happy ever again. How could I've ever forgiven myself what I've done to you? Oh, please forgive me!" Sheila cried quietly into his ear. She then gently eased their embrace and gazed at him.

He nodded and smiled faintly. "I love you, Sis." he muttered softly as well, carefully ensuring that the other Young Ones didn't hear him.

The rest of their group was gathering around them, sheer disbelief written on their faces.

"Hey, guys." Bobby greeted the others, still a bit weak.

"Gee Bobby, we really thought you were... well..." Presto trailed off.

"Welcome back, short stuff. Long time no see." Eric joked, still a bit shocked.

"Riiight, Eric." the other boy replied with a ghost of a grin.

The poisoning appeared to be completely gone; the cheerfulness has finally returned to him again.

"Yeah, nice to see you again." Hank commented affectionately, smiling relieved at the youngest.

"How is all that even possible? That's a miracle!" Diana was astonished, wiping over her eyes.

"Well, we rather call it 'Nature's Law' than to simply claim it as a 'miracle'." someone announced behind them.

They all turned around and watched the protector, they met earlier at the sea and Bobby then later on as a spirit, approaching them.

"Like we have already tried to explain you, the heart of the poisoned one had to stop beating so that the water can enclose it and purify it of the poison. That's the only way to avoid death by the poison itself. It always has to be done like that.  
>After that there's the possibility for us to revive the dead person if he or she wishes for it.<br>But it is, was and always will be that not all poisoned ones are able or are allowed to be back to life again after their recovery, because only very few of them, who even make or have made it this way to the sea at all, came here with friends or relatives.  
>They did not have anyone to pull them out of the water so that they could be resurrected at seashore again. For most of them, there was nothing else left than to commit suicide. They drowned themselves and remained in the water. This is the reason why they were denied a second chance to live. Thus it is written in our laws. They just stay dead." the keeper explained, being more kindly now than at their first meeting, and stared at the Barbarian.<p>

Bobby nearly blurted out that the protector had explained that to him exactly the same way just a few moments ago.  
>But he changed his mind just in time.<br>He didn't want to tell anyone about it and worry the others with his experience as a ghost. No one should ever get to know about it! He swore that to himself in this very moment. That's why he kept silent.

They then heard a bleat and even before anyone could react, Uni leaped into Bobby's arms, licking over his face joyfully.

"Uni!" the boy called out with both surprise and delight and snuggled up to his little friend. "Aw, did you miss me as much as I did?"

Her answer came as another bleat.

Sheila watched the two youngest with a smile. Hank placed a hand on her shoulder, she quickly turned around to him, still smiling.

"Um, is it really over now?" the Magician inquired, slightly worried about a possible negative reply.

"Yes, the poisoning is gone. Your young friend is completely cured again. His body has ejected the poison, his heart was purified." the keeper confirmed, pointing at the vomit.

"So, there's no way for him to suffer a relapse or something along these lines?"

"No, at least as long as he does not eat from the berries again..."

"Well, we're gonna take care of that, now more than ever!" the leader stated sternly but yet with a touch of leniency.

The young Barbarian hung his head. That certainly meant he won't be allowed to go anywhere without at least one 'custodian' for quite a while. Only because of such dumb berries! He sighed audibly.

"Oh well, if you'd listened to me, we would have stayed in this small 'hicksville'. So, all of this wouldn't have happened in the first place." the Cavalier chimed in.  
>He has regained his usual sarcastic nature, after it was clear to everyone that Bobby was healed thoroughly.<p>

"Eric." the Ranger shot a warning glance at the other boy, which clearly signified that he shouldn't start that again.

After all, this whole mess was due to Eric for the main part, somehow. If he hadn't argued with Bobby in the forest, the kid perhaps wouldn't ever have found this tree. But now it was too late for that and it didn't help at all to second-guess the Cavalier. Bobby was fine again and nothing else matters at the moment.

However, it was not wise to give Eric space to chatter in order to possibly raise another argument with that.

"Why, ain't I right? We'd have had a quite comfortable place to sleep at least. But nah, our tour guide had to show up again, talking us into a new _exciting _travel! Oh, if I ever get ahold of this Little Red Riding Hood..."

"_Eric!_"Hank's warning got harsher.

"Well, I think Eric's right, um sort of." Diana began but was cut short in mid-sentence by the Cavalier. "Great, just stab another kni... ohhh, nevermind."

"Should have waited a sec with your rant, eh?" the Acrobat, obviously amused by the other youth's puzzled face, winked at Eric. "Dungeon Master should have been honest, instead of lying to us! No matter how you look at it, Hank, but that's a fact."

The leader shook his head. "Do you think we still would have taken on this long journey so full of hope if Dungeon Master had told us plainly that the only question is in which way Bobby was going to die in the end? If he'd make it clear right at the beginning that the water will help only if we're gonna drown Bobby?"

"I'd have gone this way in any case!" Sheila proclaimed, exceedingly determined. "Even the realization that the result might not turn out as desired couldn't have stopped me as well. I'd do anything for my brother and also for my friends, since you all are the most important thing left to me in this miserable realm, something that still reminds me of home. The only reason for me to keep going..." she trailed off.

The other Young Ones hadn't expected so much honesty. They looked at the girl surprised.

"Well, maybe it would have been much easier for me if I had known that there wasn't any hope instead of coming here and then get to know that it was in vain after all... it wouldn't have been so... unexpected..." Presto pointed out.

"Though I don't think that it really would have been easier for us if we had known, it doesn't matter anymore. Bobby's safe and sound again. This is basically more than I've expected until recently. We came this way to heal him and that's just what we did even though it didn't look like that at first. He's alive; that's all that counts, right?" the Ranger turned towards the reunited group.

One by one they nodded their approvals.

"That's why we also can focus on our original plan again: Marius, the keeper of the portal."

"Do you really wanna go to see this Marius now? After all we've gone through recently?" the Cavalier inquired, not quite delighted.

"Why not? Now more than ever, I'd say. What other bad things are supposed to be there for us now? We've just cheated death, in fact." Diana grinned.

"Oh brother, I give up! Very likely, I'll never see the day in this life when everyone agrees with me..." Eric sighed exaggeratedly. "So, when do we set off?"

"Right now, preferably. But there's no point in doing so since it's getting dark. Maybe we should better stay here tonight." Hank suggested.

The keeper cleared his throat. The Young Ones turned around to face him.

"There's a small village nearby, as well an inn perchance still hosting you at this time. It is estimated to reach it in half an hour since it is located not far from here. You ought to get there in time before nightfall, if you hurry up."

"Uh, ok. Thanks." Hank uttered and addressed his friends. "Ok, guys, let's hurry up now so that we arrive at this place before it's getting too dark to see anything."

"Do you think you're able to walk that far already, Bobby?" Sheila asked with concern.

"Sure, I'm ok." he replied, getting up a bit too quickly, which resulted in a slight dizziness.

"Maybe we should stay here yet..." the girl considered aloud.

"I'm gonna make it, Sheila." her brother assured her.

Even though she wasn't quite convinced about that, she didn't say another word but put her Cloak over him instead so that he won't catch a cold in his wet clothes.

"Ok, let's go." the leader told them and pulled an arrow from his Bow to light their way.

"I dare not to say 'until we meet again' in this case as another return would signify no good. Thus we rather do not want to bid you welcome here at the sea ever again. However, we wish you all the best... Fare thee well!" the protector stated, creating the feeble impression that he was actually glad to cast them off at last.

"Yeah, we also wouldn't be very pleased of being forced to come back here... Thank you very much for your help!" the Ranger admitted, waving goodbye to the keeper.

The others followed their leader and turned away, leaving the 'Sea of Madness' behind which had brought them both good and evil.

* * *

><p>AN:

Well, here it finally is: the long ago promised sequel of 'Seas of Madness', although more than 6 years later than actually expected...

As you've all probably already noticed, English isn't my native language. There's a high chance that the grammar isn't always right, as well as the comma placement.  
>Here in Germany we love to put commas nearly everywhere ;)<br>So, if you find any mistakes please feel free to point them out!

At first I had the quite dark concept of Bobby staying dead and the others coping with it more or less (despite the fact that he is my favorite character).  
>Surely it would have been interesting to see how they were going to take their loss.<p>

But one year after posting the last chapter of 'Seas' my granny suddenly died and writing stories faded into background since I then had to take care of my beloved grandpa (who had dementia at that time) - until he died too in October 2012.

It was then when I remembered the promise to continue a sequel, though it took another two years to finally finish it halfway ('halfway' 'cause I don't have the final chapter ready yet but there's something you could call an end to this story after all and there's already stuff for a sequel to this sequel in my head but I don't want to put it here but rather into a separate story. I still have to draw the line from the 'end' of this story to the beginning of the above mentioned 'sequel', though, but I wanted to post this story even so now... no matter if there's an actual ending ready or not!)

Well, I could have written my own grief into the story, at least it would have been quite genuine :/ But I didn't want that direction anymore so I decided to rewrite the story completely where Bobby's going to be resurrected.

Sorry to those who had hoped to see what the other Yound Ones will do after his death - especially to you, Rana Kane & D.B. Cooper - I kind of feel like I've disappointed you for not keeping up the not-so-happy-ending after all by resurrecting Bobby... even though I personally prefer stories with a darker tone as well!

Honestly, I couldn't stand him being dead from now on, there was too much 'real death' around me to also write about it.  
>Besides who else am I going to write arguing with Eric so passionately when the youngest has passed away ? ;)<p>

But... does this also automatically mean that really _everything_ is ok?  
>So, let's see if there will be something like an happy end after all!<p>

However I hope you'll like & enjoy it - and that they aren't OOC, after all!

Thanks for reading :)

and a Happy New Year to you!


	2. Drifting memories

**2. Drifting memories**

After three-quarters of an hour they reached the small village.  
>Shortly after that they also found the inn and entered right away.<p>

In one corner of the dimly with candles and torches lit room a group of 4 musicians was playing a melancholic instrumental with flute, harp, hurdy-gurdy and bodhrán.  
>The few guests, who were there except them, turned around, eyeing them with blatant curiosity.<p>

Uni expressed her discomfort with a soft bleat.  
>Bobby reached out for his little companion instinctively, silently stroking over her mane. That soothed her noticeably.<p>

The innkeeper was standing behind his counter, being deep in conversation with a guest up until now.

His wife, a cheery beautiful woman with a Rubenesque figure and shoulder-length brown curls, washing up a few mead mugs beside her husband, now lowered one of the mugs back into the water again and approached the Young Ones with a warm-hearted smile upon her face, rubbing her hands dry with her apron.

"Good evening! You're more than welcome in our little tavern 'The Three Golden Moons'. How may I help you at so late an hour?"

"Um, we're... we're in search for a place to stay for tonight..." Hank answered, honestly surprised by this kind welcome.

"Then this is the right place to find it, my dears." the woman beamed at them. "I will show you the rooms right away."

She surveyed the group until her eyes fastened on the Barbarian. Her smile vanished.  
>"You all look exhausted, hungry and tired. You seem to have suffered a whole lot..." she assumed worriedly.<p>

"Yeah, that's for sure! We were just coming from the _Sea of Madness_..." Diana remarked slowly, glancing over to Bobby, who was standing there wrapped up in Sheila's Cloak, dripping wet and slightly shivering from the cold.

The woman followed her gaze - and understood, suspected what might have taken place.  
>She had immediately thought that something must have happened to the young boy - apart from the quite obvious fact that he was soaked to the skin.<p>

He had that certain 'something' all those poor souls get, who had been staring death in the face at the _Sea of Madness _- and were able to escape from its merciless grip again.  
>She knew this facial expression pretty well, they were living in close vicinity to this notorious sea after all.<p>

So, this child wasn't the first surviving victim of the sea they've ever met - although the first for a considerable time.

Many of those grief-stricken poisoned ones - partly on their own, partly accompanied by friends and/or relatives - stopped at this place on their last rest before arriving at their final destination.  
>A few of them returned but most were never seen again...<p>

"If you wish I can see to it that you get a hot meal as well." the innkeeper's wife offered instead without asking further questions about it.

"We'd really appreciate that but I'm afraid we don't have any gold. To be honest, we aren't even able to afford the rooms, actually..." the leader explained hesitantly.

"Oh, don't worry about that! You're welcome to stay overnight completely for free and you also don't have to pay for the meal. I daresay you had to go through more than enough. And I'm glad to be able to help you out a bit in this way."

"Thank you ever so much!" Sheila let out, looking fairly relieved.

"You're welcome, my dear." the wife replied. "And now, please follow me. I would like to show you the chambers so that you can refresh yourselves and rest a little before dinner. In addition, I will check if we've got a couple of dry garments for the boy. Under no circumstances, he ought to keep his wet clothes on and risk a severe influenza in doing so."

With that, they followed the woman upstairs.

"Unfortunately, I can only offer you double rooms with two single beds each. I hope this is all right with you."

"Of course! Anyway, we're more than grateful to have a safe place to stay for today." Hank assured.

The woman nodded and showed them the three double rooms she had chosen for the Young Ones.

There wasn't much inside their rooms apart from the two beds. It was quite appropriately and sparsely furnished but yet comfortable.

When entering, a sideboard was placed on the right of the heavy wooden door. A few towels, a bowl and a water pitcher with fresh water were on top of it  
>The two single beds, separated by a small table, were opposite the door and the sideboard.<br>There was a chair and a looking worn out bedside rug at the outside of each bed.  
>A wide window with a broad window sill was on the wall between one of the beds and the sideboard.<p>

The friends agreed that the two girls were going to share one room, Eric and Presto the other one and Bobby was entrusted to Hank's care.

As promised, the innkeeper's wife brought something clean to wear for him: a plain linen shirt, though oversized, blackish leather pants and a pair of grey felt boots.  
>In a way, those clothes imparted an amazing resemblance with the Realms denizens to him more than ever...<p>

Some time later the woman informed them of their meal being ready.

When the friends re-entered the lounge of the tavern most guests were already gone, except three elderly men and of course the couple owning the hostelry.

The musicians were gone to their bedrooms as well, their instruments were left behind in the now dark corner.

The Young Ones sat down at the table, where plates filled with steaming dishes were already waiting for them.

Bobby picked at his food halfheartedly.

"Come on, Bobby. You finally have to eat something to regain your strength." Sheila reminded her brother.

The Barbarian grimaced, eventually pushing away his entire plate. "But this tastes worse than lentil soup!" he moaned.

The host frowned at him disapprovingly.

"Bobby!"

"Uh-huh! How about fruits instead, sir? Plum-like berries are highly recommended today." Eric just couldn't miss a chance of mocking Bobby.

Since the boy was still weak due to the recently survived poisoning along with its side effects, he hadn't gotten back his usual argumentativeness yet. That's why he didn't bother to reply anything at all but only gave the older boy a very dirty look instead.

Sighs of relief were uttered all-around the two normally bickering boys.

Another argument really wasn't what they were looking for right now.

After dinner, they all were sitting together by the fireside, hunched over a map.

The last remaining guests had left the tavern a few moments ago, the Young Ones were alone now.  
>The two innkeepers were cleaning up their pub.<p>

"All right. We're here and there's the other village, 'Green Mountains'. If we take this way we should be there by, um, early afternoon, I suppose." Hank told them, pointing at a path on the map.

"Aw, nuts! Why didn't anyone here ever come up with the idea to lay rails across the whole Realm? I mean, think about it! You would be way faster with train or at least shuttle bus." Eric scoffed.

"Ohh, you're forgetting airplanes. That would definitively be the fastest way from A to B." Diana teased, though serious-looking but way too serious to really mean it that way.

Presto sniggered about Diana's witty retort and the sore expression of his friend afterwards.

Every once in a while, Sheila was taking a peek at her brother, who hadn't taken any part in their conversation so far.  
>Instead of that he was silently staring into the fire, stroking Uni, who had snuggled up to him, nearly absentminded.<p>

She shivered at this sight, which reminded her so much of those terrible moments inside Venger's castle when the youngest of their group was sitting huddled up in a cage, not being aware at all what was happening around him.

"Everything all right?" the Ranger questioned her softly.

But before the Thief could answer him, Bobby suddenly got up.

"I'm going to sleep. Good night." he declared.

He didn't even wait for their responses but turned around right away and left with his little unicorn in tow to go to his bedroom.

His sister and his friends watched him go with mixed feelings.

"I really hope we're gonna find the keeper of the portal soon. The sooner we get out of this world the better. I'm very worried about Bobby. Although the Protectors of the Sea had assured us that the poisoning was completely cured, he's changed a lot... I fear that the disease has worn him out pretty much - perhaps even more than we think..." Sheila expressed her concern.

"Maybe tomorrow at this time we'll be home again. There Bobby - all of us, in fact - can get over the things happened here in the Realms and forget about them." the Ranger tried to calm her.

"Yeah, Hank's right. It's very likely that Bobby will be his old self again real soon now. Just give him some time. He had to go through quite a lot after all - especially lately 'cause of his poisoning." Diana added.

In the meantime, Bobby was standing at his bedroom window, gazing into the starlit sky.

Sighing deeply, he turned away and went to bed.

Uni snuggled up to him, nudging him gently.

"Aww Uni, I'd like to tell the others so badly what's happened with me at this sea. But I can't.  
>They likely won't understand it or even believe me but rather think that I had imagined everything.<br>And Eric would only make fun of me again. The dumb Cavalier!  
>He then would persist in saying I'm gone insane.<br>But I ain't! I really did see it all. I was actually _dead _and a _ghost!  
><em>I guess they would worry about me once again when they're gonna hear it. I don't want that, though! They've had way too much fuss recently 'cause of me. I don't wanna be another burden for them...  
>Nope, I can't and don't wanna tell them! They'll never know... even though I'd like to talk about it after all. I just can't.<br>But... I've gotta tell someone.  
>The memories of my experiences are tormenting me somehow, I can't help thinking about them all the time. They're bothering me and affecting me more than I've thought at first - much more than I'd ever admit towards the others..." the young Barbarian declared quietly and looked at his little friend who in turn watched him closely.<p>

"But I'm gonna tell you. I know you won't think I'm nuts. I trust you. You'll never give me and my secret away. I'll share this secret with no one but you!"

He then leaned forward and whispered his encounter with the protector as a spirit into his loyal unicorn's ears, very confident that she would understand him and never betray him...

* * *

><p>AN:

I hope no one's offended by my description of the Innkeeper's wife.  
>Of course it wasn't intended as an insult since I resemble her appearance myself quite a lot ;)<p>

I've created a picture with the help of the designer tool 'roomstyler. com' to visualize the Young Ones' tavern rooms (sorry, since ff. net doesn't support links inside posts you have to ** remove all **the underlines in the link below to view it):

http:_/_/_roomstyler._com_/users/426362/rooms/8356688


	3. Those things we don't speak of

**3. Those things we don't speak of**

When Hank entered the room short time later he found Bobby sleeping - at least he assumed the kid to be asleep as he didn't stir.  
>The regular deep breaths he heard shortly afterwards confirmed his guess.<p>

And so, the youth went to bed as well feeling both pleased and relieved.

But in the middle of the night - or was it already near break of day? - Hank was awakened from sleep by something.  
>There, in the semi-darkness of the chamber, something was moving in front of the window.<p>

When he looked closer he recognized Bobby, who was sitting on the window sill, apparently watching the forthcoming sunrise.

"Bobby?" he quietly addressed the youngest of the group, being anxious not to startle him too much.

Conscience-stricken, he noticed that the Barbarian winced anyway, before turning his head towards the oldest Young One to let him know he had heard him.

"Everything ok?" the Ranger continued, getting out of bed as well and crossing the room towards the window.

"Sure... I just couldn't sleep anymore. That's all..." Bobby replied. "Sorry if I woke you up..."

"Don't worry, kiddo, you didn't." Hank answered, frowning in concern at the younger boy. "Are you really sure that everything's all right?"

"Yes, Hank, I'm fine... I... I'm still a bit... um... shaken... 'cause of the poisoning." he assured him.

"Don't be ashamed of telling us if something's troubling you - no matter what it is. You can turn to one of us with your problems at any time. You know we're always there for you, don't you?"

"Yeah, I know... Thanks, Hank!" A warm-hearted smile passed over the young Barbarian's face. Hank sensed its sincerity and was reassured - slightly at least.

The Ranger nodded and peered out of the window, barely suppressing a yawn.  
>The past few days had been more exhausting than initially thought and they were starting to exact their toll. The lack of sleep was one of the more pleasant consequences.<p>

"Well, I guess I'm gonna sleep a while when everything's all right so far. You should better go back to bed as well, don't you think so? You have to catch up a lot of sleep and your body requires the dormant phase." Hank directed towards Bobby again.

"Nah, I don't wanna sleep - not right now, at least - 'cause I ain't tired no longer. I'd much rather just sit here a little while and look out the window." he objected with a shake of his head.

"Ok, if you like... But as soon as you're gonna get tired once more you should lay down again. After all, there are a few more hours left till dawn... Please promise me to wake me up immediately if you need something or don't feel well!"

"I promise."

"Ok. Very well then... Good night, Bobby!" Hank nodded and went back to bed with this.

Although he didn't really like the idea of leaving the youngest alone to himself and his own thoughts all that much, he couldn't stay awake any longer for anything in the world; possibly not even when his very own life should depend on it - though it would be a completely different matter when it comes to his friends' lives, of course - but he was feeling safe here in this pub that there was no need for him to worry, for the duration of their stay at least.

As it turned out, the worries about the terminally ill boy had given them all a hard time.

A few hours later Hank woke up again. However, this time he was relaxed, sleep was a benefit.

He realized the bright daylight in their room, meaning that it was time to get up now.

The youth turned his head and peered at the Barbarian's bed but against his expectations it was empty.  
>At a dash Hank got out of bed, already being about to start the search for the kid when he stopped short: Bobby, still sitting on the window sill, was sound asleep - nearly in the same pose when Hank left him during the night: his knees were pulled up to his chest, his arms were wrapped around them, his head was leaned against the window.<p>

"Poor boy! He's gotta be really finished..." the Ranger announced quietly, looking at him fondly.

Uni, who was resting at her guardian's feet beneath the sill, lifted her head.

Hank picked up the blanket and carefully covered the sleeping boy.  
>He then turned around and gazed down at their pet.<p>

"You're gonna take care of him, aren't you?" he muttered more to himself than to her.

Her ears were moving constantly, like small satellites, while she was watching him with wide, attentive eyes.

Not for the first time, the Ranger wondered how much of this was actually comprehended by the little unicorn, how much she and Bobby really mean to each other and if there even was a non-verbal communication between the two of them.  
>The Cavalier might call her 'stupid', but sometimes Hank himself had certain doubts about it.<p>

He eventually left the bedroom.

The other Young Ones were up as well. They already got together in the lounge of the pub.  
>The innkeeper's wife was serving them breakfast just then.<p>

"Hey Hank." Diana greeted when they caught sight of him.

"Good morning, guys." the leader greeted back and sat down next to Presto.  
>"Bobby's still sleeping. The poor guy woke up at night and fell asleep in front of the window... I didn't have the heart to wake him now. That's why I let him sleep on." he explained to Sheila, as she looked at him with a questioning look.<p>

The girl nodded sympathetically.

So they started to have breakfast without Bobby.  
>They nearly had finished eating when the young Barbarian showed up in the lounge as well.<br>He was wearing his now dried familiar outfit again.

"Morning." he mumbled, rubbing his eyes still a bit drowsy, and took a seat beside the Acrobat on a bench.

"Ah, our Sleeping Beauty has finally been awakened from his deep slumber as well. Hope ye had a good rest."

"Eric!" Sheila admonished him, after a quick scrutinizing look at her brother.

"What? That was only meant to be a casual greeting - although ambiguous, I admit. You know, it's just like saying 'hello' in a different and more creative way...  
>Jeez, have you all lost your sense of humor lately?" Eric said shrugging.<p>

"Not exactly, but I think that particular joke was a cheap shot nonetheless." Hank stepped in reassuringly, already expecting new trouble.

And he proved to be right after all: this time the youngest didn't back off as he had done once already on the evening before.

"Just leave me alone, Er-ic!" Bobby snarled, being wide awake now.

"Ohhh, are we in a bad mood today?"

"As long as I'm forced to endure your presence..."

"You don't really expect that I always have to keep myself informed about your current state of mind at first before I'm allowed to do or say something which might be offending you or spoiling your mood otherwise, do you? You've gotta be kidding! I don't need anybody telling me how to be or behave - least of all _you_!" the Cavalier retorted condescendingly and raised an eyebrow.

Bobby glanced at the older boy for a moment, lips curled to a sneer.  
>"Well, I'd really love to see what it would have been like for <em>you <em>after eating these fruits. I'm quite sure even _you _ain't gonna talk big any more after that." he scoffed.

"Yeah right, as if that would ever happen! 'cause _I _just ain't so stupid to eat some berries I don't even recognize, in the first place. Besides, everyone knows that things with such a remarkable color can't be anything else than poisonous. The fly agaric - often commonly known as a 'toadstool', for your information - is a very good example for this rule as well. But it's quite obvious to me that the knowledge about this whole thing has passed _you _by completely... I've known all along that there's a mental vacuum beneath your helmet!" Eric shot back right away.

"Hey! Take that back, _Cavalier_!"

"Why should I, fearless Barbarian? That's the absolute truth, after all!"

"Oh really? Ain't you the one who tends to bend the truth every now and then?"

"And what exactly do you wanna tell me with that?"

"Aw come on! Who was the one, being so _stupid _to smell at a flower whose dust had a transforming effect, again? What did Dungeon Master tell us about it shortly before? 'watch out for the good that spits out the bad' - or something like that. And now, guess who didn't pay attention to this more than obvious warning! Well, you were doing very well as a bogbeast, anyway."

"So, what else is new? Everybody here has already had a good laugh about me being a bogbeast, after all. And if I remember correctly, you haven't been a non-participant in this matter, as often as you rehash that over and over again. I'll tell you something: it's getting awfully boring after a while...  
>by the way, what does this have anything to do with your 'truth' now? 'cause I absolutely don't see any possible connection between that and what you've just said...<br>Well, I mean, after all, you've been a much more 'interesting' sight than me as a bogeast, weeping like that... Aww, such a picture of misery you were!  
>Stubbornly demonstrating us all the time how already 'grown up' he claims to be, but yet cried his very eyes out like a baby...<br>If you ask me you are and still will remain just a little kid to me. What do you think about it, _Barby_?"

Suddenly the youngest jumped to his feet, eyes narrowed to slits, raising his Club. "I ain't a _little kid_ any more, got that? I'll show you..." he hissed threateningly.

But before Bobby unflinchingly could take another step towards Eric, Hank intervened.

He seized the angry Barbarian by his arm and pulled him back a bit.

"This ends right now! It's enough, you hear? I'm at the end of my patience with the two of you. I don't mind if you're gonna get out of the other boy's way as far as possible here in the Realms and ignore and don't talk to one another for a while or whatever - but stop fighting about even the slightest ridiculous reasons and insulting and also goading each other on top of that, for heaven's sake! I'm completely serious about it!"

Bewildered by the harsh tone of his beloved leader, the boy stared at the Ranger, open-mouthed.

Hank really gotta be serious since he never had been that strict with him, Bobby thought to himself.

But Eric definitely hadn't the right to treat him so condescendingly, only because the Cavalier can't stand him that much - and in addition to that he was also the youngest among them. It just wasn't fair! As if it was his own fault that he simply was a few years younger than the others...

As he absolutely didn't like - and even less wasn't used to - being snapped at by Hank, Bobby slowly lowered his Club, though his eyes were still fixed on Eric relentlessly.

"Aw, let's go already to this keeper!" the Magician pressed and rolled his eyes, obviously annoyed.

The other Young Ones shared Presto's opinion, more or less.  
>Their impatience with the two of them was steadily growing as well.<br>By now, they all were sick and tired of being compelled to put up with the ongoing quarrels between Eric and Bobby.

Their persistent arguments implied that not even the return from the dead had some positive effects on the relationship of the two boys, but rather the exact opposite was the case: it was only getting all the worse with them as a result.

Was the increased argumentativeness of the already very easily irritable Barbarian perhaps an unpleasant aftermath of the poisoning?

"That's perfectly fine with me. The sooner I get away from here the better." Eric announced, glaring directly at Bobby, who got himself into another retort once again, like so many times before.

"Right! You'd really do us all a big favor with that. _I'd_ be very glad about it, that is." he pointed out defiantly through gritted teeth.

"Great, looks like you two at least agree on one thing." Diana commented wryly, trying to avoid an escalation of this nasty conflict. "Very well then. Let's go, guys."

So the Young Ones gave their thanks for the more than kind hospitality and said their goodbyes to the innkeepers. They then set off to the place _Green Mountains_.

Bobby cheered up again the closer they got to the village. His dark thoughts and the trouble with Eric were all blown away by the pleasant anticipation of home. He faintly smiled to himself, mentally already back in his familiar surroundings.  
>However, his sister's timid voice yanked him back to reality again.<p>

"Look, there's the village!"

When catching sight of the place ahead of them, they didn't happily rush to it but stopped dead instead.


End file.
